Hobbit huts and bike repairs

After leaving the small French enclave, we made our way towards Nyahururu, while again passing the equator on the way. In the city, we had to make a small detour for an emergency bicycle repair stop -
Laura's saddle post had been sliding down daily, and due to all the re-tightening cycles, the screw-head got stripped.

Through the KBO WhatsApp group, we got the contact of local bike mechanic Isaac who promised to help. When we reached his "workshop" (a shed with an accumulation of partial bikes and tools) he was very happy to see us and indeed managed to help us out in a jiffy by filing through the screw and providing us with a replacement saddle clamp!

Continuing on, we had a quick stop at the Thomsons Falls, the (only) local attraction, which seemed like a chaotic theme park with people trying to sell things, so we fled without even managing to see the water fall. Further on, we passed by Laikipia University, and got stopped by some students who were very eager to take some pictures with us.

Venturing off tarmac again onto back country roads, we now entered elephant territory, noticeable by the electric fences spanning the road to keep the locals and their homes safe. This put us onto extra alert, since we had read that a surprise elephant encounter on a bicycle can be a dangerous matter!

Not very far on, we reached our stop for the night: The Marmanet Cob Cottages, run by a very entrepreneurial Kenyan lady, who seemed to be very fond of rosemary (which she was growing), since it was everywhere and in everything - the tea, the pancakes and even the pit toilet! Apart from Rosemary she was also very fond of length manuals and rules 😆

The place itself was a green oasis with hobbit huts to stay in and even a local pub with a pool table as well as a weekly darts competition for the locals, which felt very out of place but also very welcoming! We tried (not so successfully) to mingle and went for a beer before enjoying a very tasty dinner and calling it a night.Read more